Sacramento area weather: Get off slopes early or risk being stuck for 7 hours

If you’re among the thousands of skiers and snowboarders enjoying the Sierra, get off the slopes and head down the hill by about 3 p.m. or risk being stuck in a snowstorm for 6-8 hours, said National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Hoon.

“Consider coming home early, the earlier the better,” Hoon said. “The storm is moving in, we have high wind warnings in effect for most of eastern California and western Nevada, with the possibility of 6 to 12 inches at Donner Pass on I-80 and Echo Summit on Highway 50.”

Both passes are above 7,000 feet, and by around 4 p.m. when the sun begins to set, the snow level will come down, “and accumulating snow and strong winds are going to be a problem for anyone coming over the passes,” Hoon said. “There’s a lot of increased traffic over the holiday weekend, and with just six inches of snow, it could take 6-8 hours to get over the passes .. because the snow plows are out and everybody’s driving slow in inclement weather.”

The storm advisory begins at 4 p.m. and will be in effect until 10 a.m. Monday, with up to an inch of rain expected in Sacramento, Stockton, Chico and Redding.

This story was originally published November 26, 2017 at 10:49 AM with the headline "Sacramento area weather: Get off slopes early or risk being stuck for 7 hours."